Leaders love in many ways. One such, being Creative Correction, allows students to learn from their mistakes with dignity. They become inspired to change instead of being required to. Use this approach as often as you can, Pb.
About Mentoring Relationships
While the wording or order might be a little different, I have noticed some phases (or components) that add up in my mentoring relationships.
DISCIPLESHIP says, Learn with me.
APPRENTICESHIP says, Improve with me.
SONSHIP says, Trust [with] me.
LEADERSHIP says, Lead with me.
FRIENDSHIP says, Be friends with me.
For me, this was the sequence. I was taught and trained as a kid, and then after some growing up (in more ways than one) I learned the importance of progressively trusting Jesus through the people He placed in my life, which actually positioned me for leadership, and ultimately allowed me to relate with my leaders in a completely new, and exciting way. Even if you are already in leadership, we all need to continue in each phase (for ourselves as well as others), allowing each dynamic to mature us in Christ.
Everyone needs a few great mentoring relationships, which ultimately connects us with Christ. The more we learn, improve, trust, lead, and befriend with those sincere relationships, the better we can understand how to receive from Jesus. He wants a mentoring relationship with us, also! Wow.
Christ says-
Learn of Me.
Grow in Me.
Trust in Me.
Lead by Me.
Be friends with Me.
(Is there anything better than that?!)
Be open to the people Jesus is putting in your lives. Some will mentor you, and others will need to be mentored by you. When we interact in both ways, we can better appreciate the patience and progress Jesus has towards us.
Patience Protects, Prepares, and Perfects…
Unwind (Part 11)
I’d rather unwind than rewind.
In my personal experience, the longer I stay in the machine, the more work I take on. The more work I take on, the further my focus drifts away from the intended priorities. However, when I make time to unwind each day, I can reinforce those priorities with prayer, planning, and personal preparation.
Passion never takes a break. So when we slow down, our passion comes back up to the forefront of our minds. Our energy levels are renewed during the downtime, and our faith / focus has been patiently building into a positive fervor. Even while we’re reading books, or shopping, or hiking, ”…God is working in you, giving you the desire and power to do what pleases Him.” (Philippians 2:13) The more we unwind, the more wound up we become.
If you think about it, we actually unwind for the work’s sake. Because we love what we do, we make disciplined decisions to safeguard our passions and priorities by insulating ourselves in them. So lighten up! You don’t have to do everything in one day, but you do have to clear your head to make it count tomorrow.
Unwind (Part 10)
I’d rather unwind than undo.
This is the most exciting time to be productive! The sense of mission has never been stronger, and yet we can mistake the urgency for overkill. Yes, there’s a lot of work to be done. Sure, everyone thinks you’re an important person. We all have responsibilities and restrictions. However, if we neglect ourselves time to REFLECT, we repeat immature patterns we could have grown out of. The art of unwind is all about learning how to distance ourselves from the work we love long enough to stay focused on it long-term. Jesus wants His Grace to be our new pace, but it requires more space. We need more deliberated time to remain focused on the things that really matter.
Unwind (Part 09)
I’d rather unwind than unravel.
Although it may seem uncanny, when it comes to teams and productivity, rest is the still the best. Embrace the power of RESET. Focus is a might force, but it needs to be trained into discipline. Otherwise, your focus will become tainted into obsession. If you really value the work you do, commit to it long-term. Instead of working long hours, see yourself working long years, in a healthy way.
Something exponential happens when we can pause a little bit each day, a little bit longer each week, and a lot each year. Let’s develop the disciplines necessary to remain focused long-term.
BWOC Youth, Youth Spring Retreat 2012
Unwind (Part 08)
Is success a sin?!
Joshua 1:8 NLT
Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.
Clearly, success is legal, unless you have to sin to achieve it. I thought that my passion to succeed justified my undisciplined work habits, because they were based on pure motives. I really loved it all! In fact, that’s why I stayed underwater so long. As a young professional, I had the time and energy to trail blaze, and that I did! I was proud of my overtime tendencies. Hours turned into months, and yet I still was not making the headway that I had assumed. Things were just foggy. Everything I produced seemed insignificant or partial at best. I wasn’t going deep enough, truly understanding the priorities at hand. I thought repeatedly, “I’m working so sacrificially; isn’t that a Godly thing to do?”
Romans 12:1 NLT
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice - the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
If anyone knows something about sacrifice, it’s Jesus. However, I wasn’t really giving Him a sacrifice; I was giving Him my left overs. By the time I got home, it was too late to do anything productive… except watch more youtube videos! (Was I being sinful? No. Just immature.) The point is that in the name of forward, I would forfeit my best. Every time I tried to push ahead, I fell behind from exhaustion. Sure, my nights were productive, but I had to mentally retreat the next day. Three steps forwards, and two steps back.
I had a negative outlook on rest. To me, sleep was practically a cuss word. Until…
Mark 8:23-24 NLT
Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.
For the first time in my fresh career, I discovered the value in unwinding. It was more than taking a nap; Jesus was actually modeling a principle for us. When I don’t do diligence to reset, I become overwhelmed like the disciples. However, resting is actually a faith-action, because you’re trusting Someone else to work while you are not.
Here’s what I learned. Jesus isn’t anti-success. In fact, I believe it’s GOD’S WILL to be successful… His way. (Proverbs 18:30) The reason I get more done by working less (figuratively) is two-fold. Practically, I’m more centered, which produces optimal results more often. Prophetically though, His grace carries me. Jesus wasn’t holding out. I was holding up His grace with my own exhausted lack of discipline. Every time I got some momentum (by grace), I abused my time to crank it like a lever until I crashed. I couldn’t keep up with the rhythms of Rest. However, when I slowed down (or sped up the frequency of rest periods), and deliberately hedged myself in with some Biblical boundaries and basic time management principles, I could stay focused longer. That’s when I realized that even though Rest is a discipline, it’s designed to keep us focused long-term and wide spread.
Unwind (Part 07)
Unwinding is about developing the fortitude of solitude. Here’s some practical pointers.
01 Cut ties with the TV.
02 Reinvent the am.
03 Learn by choice.
04 Develop balanced schedules.
Unwind (Part 06)
Unwind, eh? Here’s how.
01 Pray for priorities.
02 Simplify. Trade clutter for clarity.
03 Learn like you eat, habitually.
04 Focus until you’re finished, and then RUN AWAY!
Bonus Work more for your teams; less with them.
